Method of manufacturing lenses



C. L. ROST.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LENSES.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 3, 1920.

1,438, 1 39, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

[M TOR. 64,64. A. Eo-SZ Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

CARL L. ROST, OF INDIANAPOLIS. INDIANA.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LENSES.

Application filed November 8, 1920. Serial 80.131526. I

To all when: 1' I may concern:

Be it known that 1. (Ann L. Ros'r, a citizen of the United States. residing at Indianapolis. in the county of Marion and State of Indiana. have invented certain new and useful Imn'ovements in l\'lethods of Uamifzu-turing muses. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the method of manufacturing lenses. and particularly to lenses used for optical purposes, the main feature of the invention being the provision of means for constructing a disk of glass whereby a plurality of lenses ma be ground simultaneously, and said enses ground to form either piano or bifocal lenses.

A further feature of the invention is the )I'OVlSlOIl of radiating channels or furrows in one or both faces of the disk between the various lenses to be ground so that the lenses may be separated without injury to the lens surfaces, the central portion of the disk also having an opening molded therethrough. whereby parts of the disk, when cut into sections, will not chip, break 01' scale. In forming the disk in one piece the various lenses being formed will be held together or remain in one piece during the grinding operation, and this feature is very important in view of the fact that the disk is held in position on a holder by means of any suitable adhesive substance, and while so held the various lenses are ground to the desired curvature.

Other objects and advantages will be Hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a disk from which lenses are ground, the manner of forming a bifocal lens being indicated thereon by dotted lines,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through the disk as seen on line 2-2 Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of the disk as seen on line 3-3 Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view showin a slightly modified form-0f disk.

eferrlng to the drawings, 1 indicates a disk from which lenses are ground, said disk being formed of glass and of such a diameter that a plurality of the lenses may be ground simultaneously.

In grinding lenses, where a plurality of lenses are formed on the same disk, considerable loss is sustained by the surface of the disk ehiiping and scaling, and at frequent intervals breaking when the parts of the disk are cut to separate the lenses, and to overcome these very objectionable features, and reduce the breakage to a minimum and practically eliminate chipping and scaling of the surfaces of the lenses when they are cut apart, an opening 2 is molded through the axial center of the disk 1 and radiating from said openin and between h the various lenses being ground are channels or recesses 3 which leave a thin fragment of the glass forming the disk adhering together, as best shown at 4 in Figure 2. The formation of these channels which will ordinarily be straight and smooth throughout provides a perfect scoring line so that when a cutting tool is entered in the channel and is operated to score the thin section 4 of the disk, the various lenses may be separated without injuring the surfaces of the sections being separated.

The disks from which the lenses are ground are molded in the proper shape to be ground, and during the grinding operation are mounted upon a base and are preferably held in fixed position on the base by some suitable adhesive material, and it is vitally important that the various lenses being ground remain in absolutely fixed position with respect to each other. Conseuently, by grinding the lenses while the (isk still remains intact, all of the lenses will be ground uniformly, as it will be impossible for one lens to move independentl of the others which might occur if the disk was built up of sections before the grinding operation is performed.

It will be understood that the channels or recesses may be formed either in one face of the disk or inboth faces thereof, and when formed in one face, as shown at 3 in Figure 4, the channel is formed of sufficient depth to maintain the thickness of the material between the sections substantially the same as when both faces of the disk are provided with channels, thereby leaving the same thickness of material to be severed in both instances.

It will be seen that by molding the opening through the center of the disk and molding the radiating channels, no part of the cutting tool used for separating the lenses after they are ground will come in contact with any part of the finished surface of the disk, consequently the surfaces of the lenses need not be injured in any, manner during the cutting operation.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A blank from which a plurality of lenses are to be ground comprising channels of uniform depth and width extending nearly through the thickness of the blank, substantially as set forth.

2. A disk from which lenses are to be ground having radial channels with smooth sides and bottom, said channels extending nearly through the thickness of the disk, substantially as set forth.

A process of preparing a blank from which a plurality of lenses are to be ground comprising molding glass into a disk of suitable form andsimultaneously molding therein radial channels whereby the disk may be divided into parts each adapted for formation of a lens, substantially as set forth.

4. A method of preparing blanks for lenses comprising molding glass into the form of a disk and simultaneouslymolding a central orifice therein, substantially as set forth.

5. A method of preparing blanks for lenses comprising .molding glass into the form of a disk and simultaneously impressing therein radial channels extending nearly memes through the thickness of the glass, substantially as set forth.

6. A method of preparing blanks for lenses comprising molding glass'into the form of a disk and simultaneously impressing therein a central orifice and channels extending nearly through the thickness of the glass, substantiallyv as set forth.

7. A molded blank from which lenses are to be ground comprising lines of cleavage molded therein prior to the grinding of the blank, substantially as set forth.

8. A molded disk from which lenses are to be ground comprising a central orifice molded therein prior to the grinding of the disk,

substantially as set forth.

9. A molded disk from which lenses are to be ground comprising radiating lines of cleavage molded therein prior to the grinding of the disk, substantially as set forth.

10. A molded disk from which lenses are to be ground comprising an opening through the disk and lines of cleavage radiating therefrom, said opening and said lines being molded prior to the grinding of the disk, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 25th day of Oct, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty.

\Vitnesses:

CAREY S. FRYE, M. L. SHULEB. 

